Boodle Fight Dining in Dubai

Traditional 'Boodle Fight' is a military style of eating where long tables are prepared and food are on top of the banana leaves. Viands and rice ready to eat using your bare hands, jugs of water are prepared on the side to wash hands before the "eating combat". With the signal to start the boodle fight, everyone aims for his/her position and 'tabla-tabla na' fight.

Here's a photo of our set, before and after:

Upon serving

This restaurant serves the food arranged in the center of banana leaves over a huge wooden tray. The space around the food is every diners space to put in their food pickings. It is a must to eat with bare hands, but if you're not comfortable with it, they have plates and utensils anyway.

After 30 minutes

The set is good for 3-4 persons but it really depends on how heavy eater one is.

There are 4 sets to choose from. The names are derived from popular festivals in Negros Oriental province, southern part of the Philippines.

The first one I tried was the Tanjay Fiesta Set which includes:

Plain Rice

Mixed Fried Rice

Beef Ribs in BBQ Sauce (sweet)

Chicken Kawali (reminds me of Max's)

Pansit Bam-I (mix of Canton and Bihon)

Grilled Tilapia

Fish Kilawin

Fried Talong with Alamang

Ensaladang Labanos

Fresh Fruits

Tanjay is a city in Negros Oriental. Tanjay Fiesta is a religious devotional festive dance with a mock battle depicting the war between the Moros and Christians.

The other set I tried was the Lab-as Seafood which includes:

Plain Rice

Garlic Fried Rice

Prawns Garlic Sauce

Grilled Fish

Grilled Squid

Halabos na Alimango

Fish Kilawin

Okra with Bagoong (Bagoong is a winner)

Ensaladang Mangga

Fresh Fruits

My personal preference: Lab-as seafood set

Lab-as is a popular term referring to seafood eateries in Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental.

Both were good, but I like the seafood set more - because of the Prawns Garlic Sauce, Grilled Squid and Halabos na Hipon.

The other set is called Buglasan set which includes: Kare-kare, Chicken Barbecue, Daing na Bangus, Halabos na Hipon and Adobong Sitaw among others.

There's also the Birthday Boodle set which includes a birthday cake along with Beef with Onions, Fried Chicken, Pancit Canton, Lumpia Shanghai and Chopsuey among others.

The food is very Filipino in taste! Each set is priced at AED199 inclusive of house soup and a pitcher if iced tea, juice or soda.